Returning to Happy Return

It's been such a busy summer, that it was difficult to even think about those longterm projects waiting in the yard. But now the quiet autumn days have set in, it is definitely time to focus once again on the return of Happy Return.In our last teaching workshop here, the deck structure was prepared, including hanging knees and deck beams. We have now got out all the timber for the decking: some beautiful mahogany stored away for many years. We machined it to 45mm x 17mm thickness. The previous decking was 12mm marine ply, but this mahogany comes in at a lower density than the ply - so we can afford to go that little bit thicker, giving more structural strength. Caulking seams were machined on at 2.5mm each side.

Coamings being fitted on Happy Return

Preparing the king plank requires careful planning - the whole deck has to planned out before the joggles can be cut into it correctly. There is very little room for play when fitting the deck planks afterwards: every little mistake and asymmetry is easily noticed...

Notice how the padding for the windlass has been built into the king plank - this detail will look amazing when the deck is finished!

Boatbuilding Workshops scheduled for Autumn 2014

With the weather getting better, and the days longer, the boating season is fast approaching and things are getting very busy here in our workshop in Dereenalomane, so, our programme of courses will resume in Autumn.

Visit our workshop blog for more information on our upcoming courses.

Boatbuilding on a wintery, stormy January weekend

It was a great pleasure to welcome the four enthusiastic participants of our boatbuilding/restoration workshop last weekend. Once again, it proved to be an intense and satisfying experience enjoyed by all, with great progress visible on Happy Return. Next big task: a beautiful swept deck!

Preparing for the fitting of deck beams

Graham Bailey showing Rob the art of chiselling housings

A well deserved lunchbreak!

Pádraig sculpturing a hanging knee

The weekend team! Rui, Isaac, Paul, Rob, Pádraig and Graham happy with the jobs done....

Restoration Workshops on Happy Return

We are currently preparing a series of weekend workshops giving participants the rare opportunity to learn the details of professional classic boat restoration. The first of these workshops, which will take place on the 24th - 26th of January, will cover the following skills:

Fitting sheer planks

Making and fitting deck beams and knees

Planning and laying out a swept deck.

9am - 4pm, 1 hour lunch break
Cost: €300

All tools and and materials provided.

Please visit our workshop blog for more details: http://boatbuildingskills.blogspot.ie/

Or contact us: ruiandanke@gmail.com   tel: 0868243073

Tideway Dinghy Saoirse returns to our workshop

Saoirse, on the day she was launched in 2000,
 with Dermot O'Brien who comissioned her
 and our son Fionn, 6 months old.

After a very busy summer of sailing the Ettes all over West Cork and with the first autumn storms blowing in, the workshop is a cosy place to be. Saoirse, the first boat we ever built together in the year 2000, has returned to us for some alterations. She is nearly 14 years old, and still as good as new!

An extension is being scarfed into the mast
in order to extend it to give more head-room to
skipper and crew.

Saoirse is in fact named after the sister ship of the AK Ilen.
She was comissioned by Dermot O'Brien, the grandson of Conor Cruise O'Brien, who was the naval architect of both Saoirse and the AK Ilen. Upon selling the archives of his grandfather's work, he decided to use the money to get a little ship built for his own grandchildren....

Castletownshend Ette looking for a new owner

 Muckette was built by us in 2007, to the specifications of the original Castletownshend Ette class: 16' long, 5'10" beam, 9" draught, 4' with centreboard.
Only materials of very high standard were used during her construction:
Mahogany planking on oak ribs,
Laminated oak keel
Solid 12mm stainless steel hinging centreplate with silicon bronze winch.
Fastenings: copper nails and silicon bronze screws.

Price: €18,000 ( contact us at ruiandanke@gmail.com , or 0868243073)

Muckette has won numerous regattas in her class, including Glandore Classic regatta and at the Baltimore Wooden boat festival.

As are all the Castletownshend Ettes, she is a very seaworthy boat, most suitable for exploring the islands and coastline of West Cork.
The Ette class is alive and active, offering numerous opportunities to compete within the fleet throughout the sailing season.

Muckette during her construction in 2007

Muckette racing at Glandore Classic 2011

New Sole Boards for Jane Paul

 It is quite challenging to fit soleboards on a yacht that's not even at your yard! A lot of time was spent making templates on the boat to minimize the travelling between our workshop and the boat, which is 6 miles away!
The panels are all removable allowing for easy inspection and maintenance. They are held in place by flush-fitting brass turnbuttons ( obtained from http://www.toplicht.de/en/  - a fantastic online shop for traditional boat hardware).

Click on any image to view as slideshow.

An Dalta: Our student project close to launching

A little over a year ago, we began a series of Boatbuilding workshops which led our students through the whole process of building a traditional clinker boat: from lofting to launching. The product of these intense and enjoyable workshops is "An Dalta", the replica of a hundred year old west cork fishing boat, which formed the starting point of this teaching project.

 An Dalta is now for sale. For more information contact us :
ruiandanke@gmail.com
or 0868243073

Howth17 with Bread&Butter

 Here are some pictures of the "Bread & Butter" process used to create a half-hull model of the Howth 17.
Using a bit of modern technology, paper templates of all the waterlines were created from the original lines drawing.

 The "bread", in this case cedar, is thicknessed to the distance between the waterlines on the profile plan.
While marking the waterlines onto the timber, a few station lines are also transferred, allowing alignement while glueing up.

The "Butter" is, of course the glue. Extra care has to be taken to make sure the pieces are perfectly aligned and all down flat against the sash-clamps.

Drilling before glueing and then inserting one or two dowels can be helpful, but one must bear in mind that  quite a lot  of shaping will take place, so placement of the dowels has to be carefully considered.

 Here you can see the glued up model. Now comes the fun bit of shaping it!

Resolutions for 2013

Happy Return before she came to our workshop

 Replacing clinker planking

Building a shelter

This year will definitely see Happy Return almost finished. Building on the success of our last year's workshop series, we are designing a number of  exciting, skillbuilding workshops around the refurbishment of this 1961 Stella One Design. If you are interested in the direct, hands-on learning of classic yacht building, fitting out and refurbishement, we will tailor-make a course around your needs. contact us: ruiandanke@gmail.com

Click on any of the photos to view them as a slideshow and follow the progress so far.

Planking almost complete

Steaming ribs

Clinker planking

Steaming rib

Steaming ribs

Resealing the ballast keel with new keel bolts

Deilginis returns home

It's been a great honour and pleasure to have worked on Deilginis - Thankyou all for this great opportunity!
Thank you to William Nixon for this great article he wrote on the Howth 17 website:
http://www.hyc.ie/news/newsview.asp?newsid=676

Deilginis ready for the trip to home harbour: Howth

Deilginis leaves our workshop

 With all the deck fittings back in place, and the trailor serviced for the trip, Deilginis is getting ever closer to being back in the water again.

The finishing touches...

 Deilginis is receiving her finishing touches:
 -The deck seams have been sealed with sikaflex and sanded flush.
- All the deck fittings have been dry-fitted and the deck predrilled for fixing them.
- The cockpit washboard has been refurbished and fitted into the new deck.
- A new mast-collar of laminated purple heart has been fitted.

 Notice how the Rubbing Strake has been fitted a few millimeters below the Sheer to give it that beautiful elegant look.

The Toerails have been set into the Coaming by half an inch, allowing for easy maintenance in the future.

The main deck area has been left unvarnished - this will eventually go a uniform grey and will contrast nicely with the varnished King plank and Coamings. Leaving the deck unvarnished gives it more grip and also makes it easier to maintain.

Swept Deck for Deilginis

There are few things more satisfying than completing a timber swept deck.
  The most important things to get right while preparing the deck is to make the coamings fair and as equal as possible on both sides of the boat, and also to set and mark out the king plank. It is very difficult to hide differences between the two sides.

The king plank has been widened by two cheeks around the mast, just to reinforce it.

 Now that the deck is fully laid, the screw holes will be plugged, and the entire deck sanded to a fair surface. The grooves for the sikaflex will then be corrected with a chisel. It is then ready to seal.